The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands
The spatial configuration of vascular vegetation has been linked to variations in land degradation and ecosystem functioning in drylands. However, most studies on spatial patterns conducted to date have focused on a single or a few study sites within a particular region, specific vegetation types, o...
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crwiley:10.1111/ecog.03795 2024-06-02T07:57:38+00:00 The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands Berdugo, Miguel Soliveres, Santiago Kéfi, Sonia Maestre, Fernando T. 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03795 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fecog.03795 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ecog.03795 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/ecog.03795 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ecography volume 42, issue 4, page 755-767 ISSN 0906-7590 1600-0587 journal-article 2018 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03795 2024-05-03T11:14:22Z The spatial configuration of vascular vegetation has been linked to variations in land degradation and ecosystem functioning in drylands. However, most studies on spatial patterns conducted to date have focused on a single or a few study sites within a particular region, specific vegetation types, or in landscapes characterized by a certain type of spatial patterns. Therefore, little is known on the general typology and distribution of plant spatial patterns in drylands worldwide, and on the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors as predictors of their variations across geographical regions and habitat types. We analyzed 115 dryland plant communities from all continents except Antarctica to: 1) investigate the general typology of spatial patterns, and 2) assess the relative importance of biotic (plant cover, frequency of facilitation, soil amelioration, height of the dominant species) and abiotic (aridity, rainfall seasonality and sand content) factors as predictors of spatial patterns (median patch size, shape of patch‐size distribution and regularity) across contrasting habitat types (shrublands and grasslands). Precipitation during the warmest period and sand content were particularly strong predictors of plant spatial patterns in grasslands and shrublands, respectively. Facilitation associated with power‐law like and irregular spatial patterns in both shrublands and grasslands, although it was mediated by different mechanisms (respectively soil ammelioration and percentage of facilitated species). The importance of biotic attributes as predictors of the shape of patch‐size distributions declined with aridity in both habitats, leading to the emergence of more regular patterns under the most arid conditions. Our results expand our knowledge about patch formation in drylands and the habitat‐dependency of their drivers. They also highlight different ways in which facilitation affects ecosystem structure through the formation of plant spatial patterns. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Wiley Online Library Ecography 42 4 755 767 |
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English |
description |
The spatial configuration of vascular vegetation has been linked to variations in land degradation and ecosystem functioning in drylands. However, most studies on spatial patterns conducted to date have focused on a single or a few study sites within a particular region, specific vegetation types, or in landscapes characterized by a certain type of spatial patterns. Therefore, little is known on the general typology and distribution of plant spatial patterns in drylands worldwide, and on the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors as predictors of their variations across geographical regions and habitat types. We analyzed 115 dryland plant communities from all continents except Antarctica to: 1) investigate the general typology of spatial patterns, and 2) assess the relative importance of biotic (plant cover, frequency of facilitation, soil amelioration, height of the dominant species) and abiotic (aridity, rainfall seasonality and sand content) factors as predictors of spatial patterns (median patch size, shape of patch‐size distribution and regularity) across contrasting habitat types (shrublands and grasslands). Precipitation during the warmest period and sand content were particularly strong predictors of plant spatial patterns in grasslands and shrublands, respectively. Facilitation associated with power‐law like and irregular spatial patterns in both shrublands and grasslands, although it was mediated by different mechanisms (respectively soil ammelioration and percentage of facilitated species). The importance of biotic attributes as predictors of the shape of patch‐size distributions declined with aridity in both habitats, leading to the emergence of more regular patterns under the most arid conditions. Our results expand our knowledge about patch formation in drylands and the habitat‐dependency of their drivers. They also highlight different ways in which facilitation affects ecosystem structure through the formation of plant spatial patterns. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Berdugo, Miguel Soliveres, Santiago Kéfi, Sonia Maestre, Fernando T. |
spellingShingle |
Berdugo, Miguel Soliveres, Santiago Kéfi, Sonia Maestre, Fernando T. The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
author_facet |
Berdugo, Miguel Soliveres, Santiago Kéfi, Sonia Maestre, Fernando T. |
author_sort |
Berdugo, Miguel |
title |
The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
title_short |
The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
title_full |
The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
title_fullStr |
The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
title_full_unstemmed |
The interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
title_sort |
interplay between facilitation and habitat type drives spatial vegetation patterns in global drylands |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03795 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fecog.03795 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ecog.03795 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/ecog.03795 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_source |
Ecography volume 42, issue 4, page 755-767 ISSN 0906-7590 1600-0587 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03795 |
container_title |
Ecography |
container_volume |
42 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
755 |
op_container_end_page |
767 |
_version_ |
1800740827953102848 |